The Hollow within and a Broken Mask
by DJ-Rage
Summary: A hybrid, something neither arrancar or vizard, rears its head again and it seems to have taken an interest in Ichigo, specificaly his inner hollow. To make matters worse, Ichigo can't hold his inner hollow back anymore. Posssible IchiRuki later.
1. Incidents or lack of

D1: first Bleach fanfic so here goes.

**Chapter 1 – Incidents (or lack of)**

The setting sun lit Ichigo's room gold light. Rukia leaned back against the towels in Ichigo's closet, feeling the sun warming her feet through the open door. She picked up her phone and scowled at it. There had been no Hollow activity in over two months.

"Hey Ichigo," she called to the orange haired Shinigami.

No reply came back, only the sound of gentle breathing filled the air.

"Ichigo," Rukia called again, leaning forward and looking out into the room.

Ichigo was lying on his bed with his back to her, apparently asleep. She hopped out of her cupboard and crossed to the Shinigami representative. Rukia looked at down Ichigo as she reached his bed. His eyes were closed and his face was relaxed, unlike his normal almost ever-present frown. She waved her hand in front of his face and got no reaction. She gave him a shake. Again no reaction. Rukia shoved him. Still nothing. She took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Ichigo! Kenpachi is outside your window!"

Ichigo sat bolt upright, wide awake. He scrambled to his feet, readying himself for battle only to get his feet entangled in the bedspread and end up on the floor. He glared at Rukia after his head stopped spinning and he realised that the battle loving maniac of a Shinigami wasn't outside.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" He yelled at Rukia, who ducked to a safe distance as Ichigo hurled his pillow at her.

"It was the only way of waking you up," she replied throwing the pillow back.

"You could have shaken me," Ichigo growled, remaking his bed.

"I did," Rukia objected.

"Why did you wake me anyway?"

"Don't you think its strange how there has been no hollow activity in almost two months?"

"Now that you mention it, there hasn't been an order since the hollow that showed up at the summer closing ceremony," Ichigo said and winced at the memory of having to leave his body in the middle of an assembly of the whole school. He'd managed to pass the incident off as him fainting because of the heat but that'd left his reputation in tatters.

"Maybe Renji has been clearing out the Hollows or your phone might be defective," Ichigo said irritably, trying to banish those memories, "you should have hat-and-clogs look at it."

"I'll see him tomorrow after school," Rukia agreed as she clambered back into her cupboard, "and why are you so cranky?"

"It happens when you wake someone up who was sound asleep," Ichigo lay back down on his bed.

"How can you be tired? We were almost late for school because of your refusal to wake up this morning."

"I have no idea, all I know is I'm tired," Ichigo yawned, almost asleep again.

* * *

"Ichigo, you're going to be late!" Karin yelled up the stairs.

Ichigo pulled his pillow over his head and groaned. Somehow he felt even more tired than when he went to bed. Rukia emerged from her closet and scowled at Ichigo's shape under the sheets. She crossed to the bed and booted Ichigo's ass. With a roar, Ichigo leapt out of his bed and lunged at Rukia. She dodged out of his window and ran off towards school.

"Good morning Ichi…!" Isshin yelled as he launched a flying kick at his son but was slammed to the floor by a livid Ichigo.

"Leave me alone! I'm not in the mood for this!" he yelled before grabbing his clothes and stomping into the bathroom to change. He emerged thirty seconds later, dressed in his uniform, grabbed his schoolbag and left the house. Ichigo soon caught up to Rukia and glared at her. She responded by making her eyes go wide and innocent. He looked away and yawned.

"I think Urahara should check you out after school," Rukia said, sounding concerned.

"I'm not letting him anywhere near me," Ichigo yawned again.

"It's either him or your father," Rukia warned.

"I'd rather take on an arrancar without Zangetsu."

The pair fell silent, Ichigo's mind floated back to the remnants of a dream that had be bothering him last night. He'd been jumping across the roofs as his shinigami self but all the colours were off. His shihakusho had been white rather than black. He remembered drawing Zangetsu and lunging at a hollow but nothing after that. Ichigo was brought back to reality by the school bell ringing in the distance.

"This is your fault!" Rukia yelled as she ran.

* * *

As the class filed out of the classroom, Rukia shoved her books into her bag and sighed with relief. Finally she could go and find somewhere cool to lie down. She caught sight of Ichigo out of the corner of her eye as she was heading for the door. He was slumped across his desk, resting his head on his arms. Tatsuki looked over to Ichigo with a puzzled expression as she and Orihime came up behind Rukia. She turned to Rukia and Orihime.

"What's up with Ichigo?"

"No idea," Rukia replied, "he was dozing off all through class."

"He was probably up late watching a movie or something," Orihime said.

"No, he went to bed early," Rukia said without thinking.

Tatsuki and Orihime looked at her intently.

"He told me this morning," She added quickly, "I met him on the way to school."

Tatsuki looked back to Ichigo as Orihime crossed to his desk. She knelt down in front of the desk so her head was at the same height as Ichigo's. Orihime tapped Ichigo's head, he grunted. She poked him harder and he looked up. Ichigo's eyes took a few seconds to focus.

"Hiya Ichigo," Orihime smiled.

Ichigo sprang backwards, accidentally sending the textbook on his desk into Orihime's face. His chair clattered to the floor as Orihime choked on a mouthful of pages.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"No," Orihime replied, peering out at Ichigo from behind the textbook, "just wake you up."

"Well you succeeded at both!"

Ichigo grabbed his bag and shoved his books inside it; he grabbed the textbook from Orihime, also shoving it into his bag. The shinigami representative then stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Rukia waited a minute before also leaving the classroom and chasing after Ichigo.

* * *

Rukia dragged the still complaining Ichigo around the last corner and Urahara's shop came into sight. Ururu stopped sweeping and Jinta looked up from his patch of shade as Rukia dragged, shoved and threw Ichigo towards the door. Ururu opened the door as the pair reached the shop and Rukia pushed Ichigo inside with a grateful smile to her. Ichigo caught his foot on the step just inside the door and ended up flat on his face. He looked up as two geta sandals came into his line of sight.

"Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Kuchiki, I wasn't expecting you today," Urahara said as he sat.

Rukia held out her phone to Urahara.

"I want you to check this, I think it's broken. I also want you to give Ichigo a check-up. He's sleeping almost all day and claming he's still tired."

Ichigo scrambled to his feet and folded his arms, glaring at everyone.

"Shouldn't your father be the one to check you out?" Urahara asked, "He is the qualified doctor."

"He is the last person I'd ask for a medical check," Ichigo growled, "Rukia thinks it's something shinigami related rather than my body."

"What's all the racket about?" a redhead shinigami asked as he leaned around the door.

"Renji, just who we wanted to talk to," Rukia greeted him as she handed her phone to Urahara.

"And why is that?" Renji asked.

"Have you been killing more hollows than normal?"

"No. actually I thought you and Kurosaki were taking out all the Hollows. I haven't taken one out in ages."

"Well your phone seems fine," Urahara said as he put the casing back on the device, "I suspect the hollows are just appearing elsewhere."

Urahara handed the phone back to Rukia then turned to Ichigo.

"Now let's have a look at you."

Ichigo seemed to be having second thoughts but Tessai sorted them by picking him up bodily and carrying him into the back of the shop. Ururu brought Rukia a drink as she sat and waited for Urahara to check out Ichigo. After almost an hour of being poked and prodded, Ichigo re-emerged, pulling his shirt back on and looking flustered.

"I can understand the prodding and poking," Ichigo muttered, "but those were all those personal questions necessary?"

"We had to get as complete a picture as possible," Urahara replied, fanning himself, "but there seems to be nothing wrong with your soul or your body."

Renji and Ichigo's heads turned as Rukia's phone went off, followed by Ichigo's shinigami representative badge. Ichigo wasted no time in shedding his body as Rukia left her Gigai and they dashed outside, Renji hot on their heels.

"Where are they?" Ichigo asked

"Two coming from the right in three minutes, three to the left in one," Rukia replied unsheathing Sode no Shirayuki.

Ichigo drew Zangetsu as Renji reached for Zabimaru.

"Just like buses," Ichigo muttered, "none for ages then five show up at once."

"Like what?" Renji asked, running beside him.

"Forget it," Ichigo retorted, rushing forward as the first hollow appeared. The hollow was crab-like in appearance, with its mask just under the front of its shell. Ichigo leaped into the air, meaning to bring Zangetsu down on its head, through the shell but was knocked away by on of the crab's claws. Renji swung Zabimaru at the crab but it just bounced off the hollow's armour. Rukia dived under the hollow and jabbed Sode no Shirayuki upwards into the hollow's mask. Ichigo recovered from his rough landing and sized at the next hollow, a type he recognised as an Acidwire. Renji pulled Zabimaru back as a Hexipodas scuttled into view.

"Hexipodas is mine!" he yelled.

"Then the Acidwire is mine!" Ichigo called back.

Both male shinigami charged, Ichigo leaped at his hollow and rammed Zangetsu into its chest. The force of the blow sent the hollow crashing to the ground with Ichigo standing on top of it. He raised Zangetsu to strike but the hollow fired a jet of acid at him. Ichigo dodged the attack but was thrown off the hollow as it struggled. Ichigo managed to land on his feet and stayed standing. He rushed forwards at the still downed hollow and plunged Zangetsu into its mask as the Hexipodas lost a leg to Zabimaru and backed away from Renji. Renji advanced on the hollow as it tried to get away. He lashed out with his zanpakuto and sliced through the hollow's mask. Rukia was moving to take on the two remaining hollows that had just appeared over the buildings but they seemed more interested in the spirit they were chasing. The two hollows were identical, looking like giant bats. The boy spirit stumbled and fell as the two hollows reached him. Rukia aimed a slash at the hollows as the swooped at the boy but they flapped their wings and moved out of her reach. Rukia moved between the boy and the hollows as they swooped again. Seeing they couldn't get past Rukia, the hollows swung their wings forward sending a blast of wind at her. The wind almost knocked Rukia over as she protected the boy. One of the hollows crumpled and fell as Zabimaru slashed through its mask; the other was cut in two by Ichigo and Zangetsu. Ichigo landed and approached the other two shinigami.

"You alright kid?" Ichigo asked the boy.

He nodded, looking over the three shinigami. Rukia tapped the hilt of her zanpakuto against the boy's forehead and sent him to the soul society before they walked back to Urahara's shop and their bodies.

"I suggest you watch him tonight, Miss Kuchiki. Maybe he's sleepwalking," Urahara said as Rukia got back into her Gigai.

She nodded and ran after Ichigo, who was already walking home.

* * *

Rukia's eyes closed against her will just as Ichigo's bedside clock flicked to eleven pm. Ichigo stirred in his sleep and rolled over onto his back. Ichigo sat up, leaving his body behind. But this wasn't Ichigo's normal shinigami self. His normally black robes were chalk white, along with his hair and skin. The hollow Ichigo opened his eyes, revealing gold and black. It stood on the bed, leaving Ichigo's body completely and opened the window. Without a backward glance, the hollow launched itself across the street. The hollow hopped across the roofs until it heard a familiar roar. It paused above a street where a bear of a hollow was advancing on the spirit of an old man. The hollow roared, about to lunge at the old man when the hollow Ichigo appeared and severed both its arms with its black Zangetsu. The hollow Ichigo planted a palm in the chest of the bear and a red blast sent it flying backwards. Hollow Ichigo approached the injured bear and planted the black Zangetsu into its mask.

"Who are...?" the old man's spirit started.

The hollow looked over its shoulder and launched itself back up to the rooftops without a word. The hollow continued over the roofs, in search of other hollows. It found another hollow, an insect-like one, perched on the side of a building, apparently asleep. The hollow Ichigo dived of the side of the building, zanpakuto held out as it fell. At the last second, it righted itself and landed smoothly on the ground. The hollow on the wall seemed confused at the actions of this strange hollow that carried a zanpakuto until its torso separated from the rest of it. The two half slammed down into the ground on either side of the hollow Ichigo. Without looking around, the hollow Ichigo swung Zangetsu under its arm and speared the hollow's mask. It paused as it felt an unusual reiatsu spike. Looking up, it saw a silhouette of a human shape standing on the edge of a nearby building. The hollow raced up the sheer wall and landed on the rooftop to find nothing. But the reiatsu of the figure lingered in the air. The hollow was puzzled by the strange 'scent' of the reiatsu. A hollow can tell many things about a spirit just by sensing its energy. The figures reiatsu carried the scent of a whole, the tinge of an arrancar and the sharp bite of hollow. The hollow shuddered involuntarily at the feeling of the strange reiatsu then continued across the roof, looking for the source. It reached the other side of the roof and looked up then down the street below. The Hollow shrugged and resumed its search for prey. As the hollow bounded away from the roof, the figure reappeared. He watched the hollow go with a smirk on half his face.

* * *

Early morning light was filling the street and Yuzu could be heard preparing breakfast as the hollow Ichigo returned to Ichigo's home. It entered through the still open window, closing it after itself and slipped back into Ichigo's body. Ichigo rolled over in his sleep, oblivious to world around him. Rukia emerged from the closet, already in her uniform.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu called from downstairs, "breakfast."

Ichigo snored loudly and didn't wakeup. Rukia crossed to Ichigo's bed, debating how to wake up the orange haired boy. She grinned as she picked idea. Rukia grabbed Ichigo's duvet and yanked it off. Ichigo immediately curled up then his eyes snapped open.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"To wake you up," Rukia replied innocently.

"Everyone seems to be doing that lately," Ichigo grumbled.

Rukia left Ichigo's room through the window as Ichigo got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. The morning followed the normal routine. Ichigo blocked the three attacks from his father while eating his breakfast then met Rukia outside and headed for the school. They reached the school in no time and made their way to their classroom.

"Good morning Ichigo!" Keigo called from the other side of the room as Ichigo entered.

"Good morning Keigo!" Ichigo replied without much enthusiasm.

"And good morning to you Kuchiki-san," Keigo smiled at Rukia.

"Good morning Asano-san," Rukia smiled back.

The teacher entered the classroom, the class took their seats and the lesson began.

* * *

D1: I had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while and I just had to get it out. Don't expect any updates for a while because I want to finish Sandstorm before I continue with this.

Please R&R, I don't mind constructive criticism but flamers will be megabitten.


	2. An old foe

D1: Had a creative splurge and had to write this. So here it is.

**Chapter 2 – An old foe**

The incessant beeping of the alarm clock forced Ichigo to sit up and slam his fist down on top of it. He groaned and fell out of his bed onto the floor. Rukia's eyes snapped open and she swore as she realised she'd fallen asleep while she was watching Ichigo. She changed and emerged from the closet to find Ichigo still lying on the floor. She booted him.

"We'll be late again," she warned Ichigo.

He groaned and managed to get into a sitting position. Rukia frowned as she saw Ichigo was pale.

"I feel like Kenpachi used me as a training partner," Ichigo groaned managing to stand but wobbled slightly. Rukia let Ichigo to change, leaving his room through her usual route. Ichigo emerged from his room and simply dodged his father's morning attack. He met Rukia around the corner from his house and the started walking towards the school.

"You really don't look well," Rukia told Ichigo as he stumbled.

"You don't say, I think feel about as bad as I must look."

Ichigo's representative badge chose that moment to start chirping.

"Just my luck," Ichigo growled, grabbing the badge and leaving his body.

He bounded up to roof level to get a better vantage point and it took him less than a second to find the hollow. The heavyset monster was lumbering towards the school oblivious to the orange haired shinigami running alongside it. Ichigo drew Zangetsu and attacked. The hollow didn't seem to notice the blade slamming into its side. Ichigo dashed in front of the hollow and launched himself upwards, ending up at eye level to the monster. He raised Zangetsu but was swatted out of the air before his swing could connect with the hollow. Ichigo managed to right himself but still slammed into a rooftop. The hollow blundered on, ignoring the substitute shinigami.

_This thing is the densest hollow I've ever met._ Ichigo thought as he tried again. He rocketed up to the hollow's head level again, managed to avoid the first fist but the second sent him flying for a second time. Ichigo cursed as a sneering voice whispered though his head

_Let me out!_ his hollow self muttered over and over.

_You're an unwanted parasite! Shut the hell up!_

Ichigo ignored his dark self as the hollow in front of him fired another projectile at him. He landed on a roof and immediately vanished with the help of shunpo. The hollow was startled as Ichigo appeared in front of its face.

"Getsuga Tensho!" point-blank range.

The hollow didn't know what hit it. Ichigo landed without looking at the disappearing hollow and returned to his body. Rukia looked slightly worried as she saw Ichigo wince as he stood up, in his body again.

"It's nothing," he told her as they resumed walking towards the school.

A ripple in the air appeared behind the two shinigami as they walked away.

"That would have been a strong ally," the ripple muttered, "pity the shinigami got there first but that human is interesting."

The ripple faded just before Ichigo turned back as he thought something. He dismissed the thought as the saw no-one behind him and felt on reiatsu. But he couldn't shift the nagging feeling that he was being watched.

* * *

Toshiro looked up as a hell butterfly fluttered into the room.

_All captains are to assemble immediately. Emergency meeting._

The white haired captain left his office and sprinted towards the assembly hall. As He rounded the last corner before the assembly hall, he saw Mayuri and Komamura already entering. He skidded to a stop and walked calmly to his position while the rest of the captains arrived.

"Captains, there is a crisis looming. Apparently Nero has returned," Yamamoto said with great severity.

Ukitake's eyes widened as Shunsui's smile faltered. Sajin's mouth almost dropped open but he caught himself in time. Unohana's face remained impassive while Mayuri's brightened.

"I thought that monster was dead," Ukitake muttered.

"It seems not," Soifon said, "the reports from the stealth teams say he's alive and heading for Karakura."

"Well this cheery news has really but a crimp on my day," Shunsui complained, "any idea how he survived our…?"

"It matters not how the creature survived," Mayuri interrupted, "what matters is the fact I can study the creature…"

"You will do no such thing," Captain Yamamoto bellowed, making other squad leaders freeze, "this creature is neither hollow nor whole. It is a dangerous enemy that will be dealt with. Hitsugaya, Kuchiki, you will take your lieutenants and head to the living world. Destroy that monster!"

* * *

The sun sank below the horizon, leaving a pale orange patch of sky as its only trace. Ichigo lay in his bed, sleeping like he was dead. Rukia was determined not to fall asleep as she watched for anything that would disturb Ichigo and could be causing his fatigue. As she watched Ichigo, she doubted even a kido spell, with incantation at full volume, in his ear would wake him. Rukia was jerked out of a daze by the beeping of her cell phone. She grabbed it and read the message.

Karakura town shopping centre

20M

11:45pm

+- 5 min

Rukia swore, reaching for her soul-candy. She popped one of the candies into her mouth and dashed across the room as her shinigami self.

"Keep an eye on him," Rukia ordered the temp soul in her body.

The chappy Rukia saluted and grinned before assuming kneeling position, eyes intently fixed on Ichigo. Rukia opened the window and raced away, towards the mall. The female shinigami bounded over the buildings until her destination came into view. Rukia landed on a rooftop overlooking the mall, she pulled out her phone and read the time on the display, 11:39pm. She slipped the phone back into her shihakusho and scanned the area for the hollow. She'd almost given up when an eerie howl echoed around her. Rukia grabbed her zanpakuto and sprinted in the direction of the howl. She came down onto street level, rounded a corner and skidded to a stop. The hollow was crouched on a rooftop looking at the soul of a small child, huddled in a shop doorway. Rukia was about to attack when something knocked the hollow off the building and slammed into the ground. A white clad figure landed in front of the hollow and without missing a beat rammed a large blade into the hollow's head. Rukia watched as the white figure took off, heading back to the roofs. Running after the white swordsman, she tapped her zanpakuto's hilt against the child's head as she passed. Rukia launched herself up to the roof; she looked around and saw the white silhouette again. She rocketed after him, trying to see who he was. She caught a sense of reiatsu and almost lost her footing; she sensed hollow and shinigami coming from the white shape but knew it wasn't an arrancar. The fleeing swordsman tried to shake her by using shunpo but she mimicked his moves. Rukia couldn't shake the feeling that the swordsman was Ichigo; the sword the figure carried looked so like Zangetsu. The blade was a similar size but the shape was wrong, it looked bulkier. And she knew she'd left Ichigo being watched by her Chappy inhabited Gigai. She shook the feeling and continued the pursuit. Rukia was gaining ground when the swords man aimed his left hand under his right arm, index and middle finger pointing straight at her. Rukia slowed as she saw red energy gathering at the figures fingers. She realised what it was about a second before he fired.

"Cero!"

The red blast shot towards Rukia, not giving her time to dodge.

"Hado number 33, Sokatsui!" Rukia yelled, firing at the incoming cero.

The two attacks hit in mid air and exploded, filling the air with dust and smoke. As the air cleared, Rukia looked around but the white figure had gone. She tried finding his reiatsu but it was gone. She looked around for a while but could find no trace and turned back towards Ichigo's house. A white crop of hair appeared as the hollow Ichigo looked out from its hiding place. The hollow Ichigo paused as the sound of clapping met its ears. It looked up to see a silhouette sitting on the edge of a nearby roof, looking down at him.

"You and I are the same, but are we?" the silhouette muttered, sounding like it was talking to itself, "so much power and you are reduced to prowling at night. What power has you chained? Not the little shinigami girl?"

"What are you?!" The hollow Ichigo demanded as it felt the same strange reiatsu from the other night filling the air.

"What am I?" the silhouette echoed, "who cares. I don't have to tell you anything."

The reply almost made the hollow shudder as it remembered telling Byakuya the same thing once. Something about the stranger made the hollow wary but at the same time drew it to the silhouette.

"Prove to me you are worthy of my power, and I shall grant you your greatest wish."

The silhouette vanished before the hollow Ichigo could digest his words.

* * *

Entering through Ichigo's window, Rukia found the room just as she'd left it.

"Has he moved?" she asked the chappy soul.

She shook her head. Rukia got back into her body and lay down in the closet; she tried to watch Ichigo again but soon fell asleep. A white head peered around the window frame, looking into the room. It saw Rukia was asleep again and quietly opened the window. The hollow closed the window again before entering Ichigo's body. Ichigo jerked and groaned in his sleep. For almost half an hour he tossed in his bed until he suddenly sat bolt upright, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. The nightmare was already fading but parts were still clear. Ichigo tried to grab onto the images flashing through his mind but only managed to catch a handful. The mall, hollow, shinigami, running, cero, explosion. Ichigo lay back down on his bed, feeling sleep calling him again but as he drifted off the face of the shinigami floated out of his memory. Rukia's face.

* * *

Ichigo was lying on his bed again, staring up at the ceiling. The dreams of wandering around the city in a white shihakusho were really starting to bother him. He'd managed to get through another day with the help of Rukia kicking his shins every time he dozed off. Ichigo looked over as he heard a taping on his window. His frown deepened as he saw Byakuya was outside.

"Rukia, you have a guest," Ichigo said as he opened the window.

Rukia opened the door of her closet and stared.

"Nii-sama? What are you doing here?!" she asked as he clambered through the window, followed by Renji.

"I bring news direct from Captain Yamamoto," Byakuya paused, "Nero is back."

Rukia's face turned grim.

"I thought he was dealt with."

"As did we all. That monster seems almost as stubborn as Kurosaki,"

"Who or what is Nero?" Ichigo demanded, ignoring Byakuya's comment.

"To put it simply, Nero is trouble with a capital T," Rukia told him.

"That still doesn't tell me much," Ichigo complained.

"We think he's an imperfect arrancar, which means he's a hollow with only half a mask," Renji said as he sat next to Ichigo's bed, "we've tried to deal with him more than once over the last hundred years, but ever time he's defeated he comes back."

"We're assembling a task force at Urahara's," Byakuya continued, "We'll expect you there."

Without another word Byakuya and Renji left Ichigo's room. Rukia popped a soul candy into her mouth and left the chappy soul in charge of her Gigai as Ichigo grabbed his shinigami representative badge. After putting Kon in Ichigo's body and threatening to give him to Yuzu if he tried anything, both shinigami left Ichigo's room and headed towards Urahara's shop.

* * *

Shutting the door after him, Ichigo looked around the shop interior as he sat. Renji and Byakuya were sitting to his left, across the room from Toshiro and Rangiku. Urahara and Yoruichi were sitting in front of Ichigo and Rukia.

"This all seems a little extreme to deal with just one hollow," Ichigo voiced.

"Nero is no mere hollow. He's self aware, not a mindless beast like other hollows and somehow he has power that rivals a captain rank shinigami," Byakuya said without looking at Ichigo, "he's been plaguing the soul society for almost a hundred years now."

"You said he keeps coming back, how can you bee sure it isn't just a flock of similar looking hollows?" Ichigo asked.

"During the fights, he deliberately tells us what happened the last time he was defeated," Rangiku told him, "it's definitely the same individual hollow."

Toshiro's eyes took on a far away look as he remembered the last fight with the subject of their conversation.

"The only way he could have reacted to Hyorinmaru was if he knew what was coming," he said almost to himself.

"Nero has unique abilities you need to be aware of Kurosaki," Urahara interrupted Toshiro's memories, "one of them is his ability to draw other hollows to himself at will. Once he draws the hollow's in, he is able to shatter their masks and make them like him. Though not as strong as Nero, the new demi-hollows are a force to be reckoned with."

"Why is he such a threat?" Ichigo asked.

Yoruichi took over the briefing, "His raw power is why he's such a threat. His strength is on par with the Espada. If allowed to run loose there's no telling what he'd do. To make matters worse, because he only has half a mask, his hollow and human sides are warring against each other for control. The constant conflict has driven him over the edge but he still retains his human intelligence."

"So we have a psycho demi-hollow on the loose," Ichigo muttered, "could this day get any worse?"

"Are any of the other captains coming?" Rukia asked.

"It was decided against bringing captains Zaraki and Kurotsuchi," Toshiro replied.

"Kenpachi would probably ignore Nero and go after Ichigo," Rangiku added.

"And Kurotsuchi would want to capture and study Nero. But Ukitake and Kyoraku may join us later."

* * *

After much discussion between the task force it was decided that Urahara's store would be the headquarters for the operation. The night had started to turn from black to blue before the meeting ended. The shinigami paired off outside Urahara's store and scattered in different directions. Rukia paused, looking up at the nearby building as she thought she saw movement in the lightening sky. There was nothing there and she dismissed it as a trick of the light. Ichigo and Rukia headed back towards the Kurosaki clinic unaware that they were being watched by a cloaked figure. The stranger turned away from the street, phasing back into the visible spectrum.

"Things are getting interesting," the phantom muttered, snickering as it walked across the roof.

A hollow landed behind the figure and seemed almost puzzled by stranger's reiatsu. The figure vanished, reappearing in front of the hollow's face and slamming its fists into the hollow's mask.

The hollow screamed and collapsed to the rooftop as the figure sat in the shadows. The hollow screamed as its body twitched and rippled. An evil smile twisted the shadowy figure as the hollow's body shrank down into a more human shape. The former hollow managed to get to its feet and looked at its creator. The smirk of the shadow grew as it opened a Garganta portal and stepped through, the former hollow following.

* * *

D1: You know the drill please R&R. By the way, looking for a beta reader, any takers?

I'm going to bed.


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